Snakes Have Hearts Too
by Vampiresanddemons
Summary: An original story based on the events of Mitsuki, the second son of Orochimaru.


"You adults can't tell me what to do." the boy growled as a deep blue chakra surrounded his body. "I'll decide what I want to do for myself!"

Orochimaru watched in fascination as his son's Sage Mode activated fully. His chakra formed into coiling snakes that seemed to glare with almost the same intensity as Mitsuki's eyes. The pressure the chakra created was incredible coming from someone so young, but Orochimaru had learned years ago not to judge one's strength based on their age or experiences. He was his child after all. It was only fitting that he would possess the same genius as himself. He could sense his other child growing tense as he watched Mitsuki's chakra form, and willed him to remain silent. They were far too close to success for anything to interrupt them now.

Before Orochimaru or Log could say anything to Mitsuki he vanished before their eyes. Looking down Orochimaru saw that his key, as well as the scroll he was holding, had also vanished. A smile spread across his face as his child ran. On his sixth attempt to show him what he was capable of he gained independent thought. Looking to his older son he knew Mitsuki would excel in the Leaf Village just as he himself had done all those years ago. Log glanced in his direction before pulling out a cigarette from his breast pocket along with a silver lighter. He was not as proud as Orochimaru, but he still felt a sense of pride in his heart knowing his father had finally achieved what he had been working so hard for.

Orochimaru believed he needed to make amends for his past sins. The Leaf would never fully forgive him for what he had done, nor would they truly trust him. His experiments were something vile, but he had also taken away so much from the Leaf Village while pursuing his own ambitions. Countless ninja were dead because of his greed for knowledge and power. He could not change his past, but he thought perhaps his child could progress where he had failed. Speaking to Log briefly they returned to the hideout together. Parting ways Orochimaru returned to the room where Mitsuki had reawakened several hours earlier. Log and Mitsuki had been created artificially, but he did truly see them as his children. He was unsure when he first began his experiment how he would feel when and if he ever succeeded. Along with many other people he saw himself as a monster. He had never really loved anyone, not that he could remember anyway, and feared he would feel distant even with his own child.

Sitting down on the bed silently Orochimaru recalled the events that led up to the creation of his sons. After the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War he found himself alive and well on the battlefield. He was not surprised to be alive, but the judgment of Naruto to let him go instead of making him pay for his crimes caught him off guard. He truly was a foolish boy, but his mercy had opened Orochimaru's eyes. That foolish boy was now the Seventh Hokage of the Leaf Village. He recalled Sasuke had remarked that he did not believe in Orochimaru's motives to destroy the Leaf, and now this boy was letting him walk away. He decided then and there that he would work to make amends for himself. He knew he would never be able to make up for everything that he had done. He could not even bring himself to live in the village again. Instead he would give back a little of what he had taken away in the form of a child. He would help protect the village Orochimaru had once called home.

The first thing he did was perfect an aging process that would allow him to continue his work even as he aged. This caused somewhat of a commotion as many believed he was returning to his old ways. The jutsu would allow his mind and soul to continue to grow older, but his body would remain the same. He was not immortal, as he previously thought he could be, just younger looking and unaging. Next he used his knowledge to create an artificial embryo. Using strands of his own DNA with the genetic makeup of the embryo he attempted to create life. He had long lost track of how many failed outcomes he had before he had success.

Thus the first Mitsuki was created. Like most parents Orochimaru raised him from birth. He had help from Suigetsu, Karin, and even Jūgo from time to time, but most of Mitsuki's upbringing fell to Orochimaru. When he was old enough Orochimaru began training him in the ways of the ninja. He trained, taught, and passed on everything he had to offer to his child. He wanted to send him to the village so he could interact with other ninja his age, but thought it too soon. As the boy got older Orochimaru noticed he lacked independent thought. Mitsuki would do anything and everything that was asked of him whether it was from Orochimaru himself or the others. He knew he could not send him to the village without discovering why he was the way he was. He would no doubt get used left and right.

Perplexed Orochimaru began looking into the person he had molded his son to be. Mitsuki was not without feeling, but most of his emotions were cold, much as Orochimaru's had been for so long. As he grew into a man he rarely smiled, and his spirit seemed to be tied down. This was not what he wanted for his child at all. It was true that he was strong, however Orochimaru knew from past experiences with both Naruto and Sasuke that for someone to become truly strong they needed to be their own person. He had naturally grown attached to his child, so the idea of starting over never even occurred to him. Mitsuki was not just another one of his experiments, he was his son. Orochimaru would try again, and this time he would push his child to be free of his influence. Mitsuki, now called Log, had no opinion on having a sibling. The only thing he wanted was to help his father. In truth he wanted to mirror his father in every way possible.

"You're making another one?" Suigetsu questioned as Orochimaru began preparations for making another child, "Do you want to give the Leaf a whole army of your clones?"

"They're not true clones," Orochimaru smiled briefly in reply, "They are my children. If they were clones they would look more like me."

Folding his arms Suigetsu asked, "So what's the deal?"

"Orochimaru doesn't only want to give the Leaf Village a warrior," Log said from the doorway, "He wants to give them someone that can protect the village."

Shrugging Suigetsu went back to his work. Ever since Log was but a boy he had stopped calling Orochimaru his parent and resorted to calling him by his real name. On the surface Orochimaru did not seem bothered by it, but inside he was concerned for the lack of compassion in his son's words. He knew it was his own fault for not immersing him into the Leaf Village when he had planned. That was where he went wrong, but this time he was prepared to let his second child go.

Unlike the previous times he had tried to create a child from the embryo he was pleased to see instant success. Orochimaru gave the child the same name as his first. He spent less time with this Mitsuki, but still felt the same attachment to him. He would still train him and educate him the way he had with Log, but he wanted to be as distant with him as possible. As Mitsuki aged Orochimaru would often venture to the Leaf Village. He watched as Naruto's son and daughter grew, as well as Sasuke's daughter. He would constantly find himself smiling as he watched them train. He knew his son would be a perfect addition for the newest generation of ninja. He only wished he could be a bigger part of it.

When the time came for Mitsuki to leave Orochimaru conceived an elaborate plan to make his child want to run away. He knew Mitsuki had the strength to achieve Sage Mode, and wanted him to see for himself what kind of power Orochimaru had given to him. He had taught him everything he taught Log, and he could see the admiration in his eyes when he told him stories of his past. He not only admired his father, but Naruto and Sasuke as well. Orochimaru knew it would only take a little push in the right direction for him to go to the Leaf Village and become friends with Boruto, Naruto's son. He noticed on one of his more recent trips to the village that Boruto was unhappy with his father. Being the son of a Hokage he was quickly learning that his father rarely could find time in his day to be with his family. Orochimaru knew he needed a close friend and who better than his own child.

Unfortunately Mitsuki was as stubborn as Orochimaru. It took six attempts for him to think independently and leave the hideout. The five previous times when he was given the choice to go with Orochimaru or join Log he always went to his father. With each failed attempt Orochimaru erased Mitsuki's memory so he would not grow confused and question what his father was planning. Orochimaru had almost given up hope until he saw the faint hesitation the fifth time they went through their little act. He saw a questioning look in his eyes as he drifted ever so slightly to Log before heading back to his father. Orochimaru disliked taking Mitsuki's memories away from him, but his plan was slowly beginning to work. The sixth time he gained his independence and much to Orochimaru's surprised learned to harness the power of Sage. When Mitsuki left the hideout he unknowingly took a scroll with a gift from his father with him.

Inside the scroll Mitsuki had taken was a newspaper article about Boruto. It described his life being the son of a Hokage, and as soon as Orochimaru saw his picture he knew Mitsuki would want to go to the Leaf Village to meet him. Boruto would be the sun of the village and his child would be the moon. He would bring light to the village's darkest times, and once he viewed it as his home he would defend it with his life. It was only after Mitsuki left that Orochimaru realized something about the situation he had placed his son into. He and Boruto would more than likely spark a friendship when they got to know each other. That friendship had the promise of equaling or even rivaling that of Naruto and Sasuke's bond. Breaking from his thoughts he rose from the bed and smiled once more.

As time passed Orochimaru would look in on Mitsuki after he arrived at the Leaf Village. He was pleased to see he had made friends with both Boruto and Sarada, Sasuke's daughter. He was part of their team of four under the instruction of the Third Hokage's grandson. Just another peculiar occurrence Orochimaru observed for his child. On one particular day he watched them embark on a mission. As he watched their progress he again realized something. Not only did Mitsuki and Boruto's friendship remind him of Naruto and Sasuke, but the group together brought back memories of his youth when Jiraiya and Tsunade were his teammates. With Sarutobi's grandson as their teacher he saw the image of his past even more clearly. Shaking his head with a smile he watched as the three Genin finished their mission. Boruto was sitting on what appeared to be a panda talking to Mitsuki. Orochimaru could not hear the conversation, but he saw Mitsuki smile at Boruto and Sarada as if a joke had been made. The next thing he was sure of Boruto was demanding who Orochimaru was while Sarada stared at Mitsuki in stunned silence.

"You came to watch him again," Log's voice stated from behind Orochimaru, "I'm sure he would be at least a little happy to see you. From the looks of it he finally told his teammates who you were."

Without turning Orochimaru replied, "All they know is that I am his parent. I'm sure if they knew who I really was they would want to fight against me."

Log could not help a chuckle as he lit a cigarette, "Yes, I suppose. Still when he talks about you he gets the happiest look on his face. I guess you bonded with him a little more than you thought."

"He will be a Chunin before long," Orochimaru stated with a sigh, "Before you know it he will be leading his own team."

Blowing out a puff of smoke Log questioned, "Is that sentiment I hear in your voice Orochimaru? I sense you long to be part of this village again." When he did not reply Log continued, "From what I hear everyone used to think you were a heartless monster. They were scared of you and of your experiments."

"Most still do view me as a monster," Orochimaru replied looking down at Mitsuki, "I suppose in a way I still am. Both you and Mitsuki were no more than experiments when I first started."

Turning Log shrugged, "They must not know much about you if they still fear you. I bet most of the people that call you heartless have never even met you before."

Orochimaru turned to the side so he could look at Log and asked, "Why do you say that?'

"I thought you were supposed to be some kind of a genius father," Log smiled as he looked over his shoulder, "Snakes have hearts too."

Before he could even utter a reply Log was gone. Orochimaru's wide eyes dropped back to normal. He brought his eyes up to the setting sun and smiled. He had not heard Log call him father for years. The sound of it caused a strange coil to form around his long forgotten heart. Contributing to that coil was the last statement he said. Snakes have hearts too. As he thought and recalled his child's words they echoed through his mind in Jiraiya's voice. Ages ago it seemed he remembered a conversation he held with his friend and teammate after the death of Tsunade's younger brother.

"Don't you find it odd Jiraiya?" Orochimaru had asked gazing at the steadily falling rain.

"What's that?" his old friend questioned from beside him.

A grim smile appeared on Orochimaru's face, "That boy was part of our village yet I feel no remorse for him, or anyone else we lost today."

"You've grown cold," Jiraiya replied following Orochimaru's gaze.

"Perhaps I have," he answered looking down, "I don't really care who lives and who dies. We all face death someday."

He could hear Jiraiya chuckle, "Someone's in a morbid mood today. It must be the rain." At Orochimaru's silence Jiraiya asked, "Tell me, if Tsunade or I would die would you care then?"

Orochimaru's smile faded, "Of course. The two of you are the closest I have to a family."

Jiraiya had smiled at him then and stated, "You may be cold and uncaring sometimes, but remember that snakes have hearts too, my friend."

His child had said the very words his closest friend had said to him all those years ago. In a way he could see Jiraiya in both Log and Mitsuki. He knew they would both grow into strong ninja, and that his friend would watch over them just as he would watch over Naruto, his children, and the rest of the Leaf Village. With his eyes shimmering golden yellow in the sun Orochimaru watched Mitsuki for a moment longer before vanishing himself. He had been so certain for the longest time that he would forever be hated and alone. He had lost all feeling for others and would distance himself from everyone. Now with two children to look after he never felt more complete.

Orochimaru would continue to support the Leaf Village and both of his sons for as long as he was able to. When and if the time came that the village needed to be defended again he would stand side by side with his sons and the ninja from the Leaf. He had known all along that the Hidden Leaf Village was his true home; it just took some time to see it again. The ninja in the village still did not fully trust him, but he was prepared to do anything to help and to prove his loyalty. They thought of him as a heartless monster, but as Jiraiya and Log had said, snakes have hearts too.


End file.
